


mysteries of the ocean

by stardazed_daydreams



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Accidental Marriage, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Minor Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Naga, Selkies, Sirens, Vampire!Virgil, Vampires, human!logan, naga!Deceit, selkie!patton, siren!roman
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-07-28 07:21:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20060188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stardazed_daydreams/pseuds/stardazed_daydreams
Summary: When Logan Croft almost steps on his classmate's coat, he doesn't think twice before picking it up and handing it to it's owner.But because of a magical race's tradition, he ends up married to a small, frustratingly adorable selkie by the name of Patton.Just what has he gotten himself into?





	1. The Meeting

It was a normal day for Logan, if rushed. He made it to his classroom just before class was set to start, and he hurried between the tables to sit at his normal spot. 

As he walked, however, he almost stepped on gorgeous, expensive-looking fur coat. "You dropped your coat," Logan said, and he picked it up off the floor to drape it over the pack of the closest person's chair.

"Oh, thank-" the man in the chair stopped to stare at Logan with wide, sparkling eyes. He was beautiful, with light brown eyes and glasses resting on his freckled nose. Logan shifted a little under his gaze, waved awkwardly, and sat down at his own table. 

Logan found it very difficult to pay attention to the lecture, despite the fact that it's a class he enjoys, mostly because any time he looked up from his scribbled notes he found the man with the coat staring at him in a rather open fashion, not even looking away when they make eye contact. He flushed under the attention, and his notes were a little scattered by the time the class was over. 

He made his way out of class, passing by the man without another glance. 

"Hey! Wait up!" the man called, and Logan paused just outside the door. The man stood, rushing out to him. He was out of breath, panting a little and still looking at Logan with wide eyes. "I don't think we've met," he said. "I'm Patton. Patton Waters." He smiled, and Logan fumbled for words to respond. 

"Oh, I'm, uh- Logan. Logan Croft," he said, extending his hand. 

Patton's smile only grew, and it was almost blinding. "Pleasure to meet you," he said, and shook Logan's hand firmly. "Can I get your number?"

Logan sputtered for a moment, unused to such forward affection. "I, uh, sure." Patton pulled out his phone, and Logan entered his number into a blank contact. 

"Thanks," Patton said emphatically. Logan nodded. "I'll text you, so you can have my number, too." 

"That works," Logan said, a little dizzy. 

"Awesome," Patton said, and to Logan's shock, pressed a kiss to his hand. "I'll see you soon," he promised, and then he hurried off. 

"Nice catch," someone behind Logan said appreciatively. 

"I guess," Logan said, still a bit puzzled.

* * *

_[unknown number]: Hey, Logan! It's Patton! _

_ Logan: Hi. _

_ Patton: Do you want to go out tomorrow? _

_ Patton: Say around 10? _

_ Logan: That sounds good. Where? _

_ Patton: There's this cute little coffee shop down by the beach! Would that work? _

_ Logan: It would. _

_ Patton: Cool! I'll text you the location? _

"So, who's the lucky guy?" Roman King, Logan's roommate, asked from across the room. 

Logan blinked up at him. "What?"

Roman rolled his eyes. "You'd have to be an extremely important person to distract Logan Croft from his ever-important work," he said, "and besides, Virgil saw you chatting up some cutie outside of your Astronomy class." He spinned in his desk chair. "So, who is it?"

"His name is Patton," Logan said, turning red. 

"Patton Waters?" When Logan nodded, Roman laughed. "Oh, man. Good luck."

"What's that for?" Logan asked with a scowl. 

"Oh, I'm just saying that he's way, way out of your league." Roman dodged the pillow Logan threw at his face, laughing all the way. 

* * *

Patton was late, and Logan was nervous. 

He tapped his fingers against the smooth grain of the table at the cafe Patton had picked out, a sleepy place with a view of the ocean. He was starting to think he had been stood up. Or maybe it was a prank of some sort, and soon Patton and a friend would jump out from behind a chair with a camera and laugh at him for falling for their trick. 

But Patton had seemed so genuine…

Of course, Logan barely knew him. 

Logan was so lost in thought that he didn't even notice when Patton _ did _ walk in, not until he sat across from him, taking off his coat and laying it across his lap. "So sorry I'm late," he said, eyes wide and honest. "My roommate thought it would be hilarious to turn off my alarm." 

Logan smiled, relief seeping into his bones. "That's okay," he said, and now that Patton was here, he meant it. "Your roommate sounds like a jerk." 

"He's really not," Patton said, shrugging. "Damian just really likes to play practical jokes." 

"I see," Logan said, folding his hands on the table in front of him. 

"Oh!" Patton suddenly sat up, ramrod-straight, as if he'd been electrified. "I got this." He set a small, black velvet box on the table directly in front of Logan. "Sorry, I wasn't sure what you liked..." 

Logan looked at it, confused. _ A gift? On the first date? _ He picked it up and opened it, shocked to find a silver band sitting in it. “I.. isn't this an engagement ring?”

Patton nodded, biting his lip and blushing. “Well.. I thought that we should marry by human customs as well.”

Logan blinked at him. "_ What _?" 

Patton looked crushed. "You're angry, that's okay, I can take it back," he said, and reached for the box. 

Logan didn't give it to him. "No, I'm not angry, just-" his mind went completely blank, as if someone had switched the off button on his brain. "Surprised."

Patton stared at him for a long moment, lips slightly parted. "You don't know," he breathed. 

"Don't know what?" Logan's fingers instinctively curled around the box possessively. 

"I'm a selkie," Patton said. "When you picked my coat up off the floor and gave it back to me-"

"We got married," Logan finished as the realization struck him. "Oh, Patton, I'm so sorry, I didn't know."

"It's fine," Patton said, shifting in his seat. "I just thought that... well, since we were married by my customs... we should get married by yours?"

Logan smiled, sliding the ring box into his pocket. "Why don't we try to get to know each other first?" he asked.

Patton's whole face lit up. "I'd like that," he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was unbeta-d and unedited so please don't judge me
> 
> based on ([x](https://howtobangyourmonster.tumblr.com/post/170171282758/kurara-black-blog-howtobangyourmonster))


	2. The Whole Gang Is Here

**** The next week was spent, revolving around Patton- every moment not spent in class was spent with Patton, going on dates, hiding in his dorm room, visiting the ocean. 

On the 7th day of being married to Patton, Logan finally sat down and explained the situation to Roman. 

Roman, predictably, found the whole thing to be absolutely hilarious. 

"I can't believe you just  _ picked up his coat,"  _ He said once he was done laughing. "I mean, I knew you were oblivious, but I didn't think you were stupid."

"I'm not stupid," Logan argued.

"Maybe not with all your nerd science stuff, but you  _ are _ stupid with love," he said, then immediately straightened as he realized what he did. 

"No," Logan said. 

Roman dove for his phone, and a few moments later,  _ Mean Girls: The Musical _ had overtaken their dorm. 

"Gah," Logan said, falling back on his bed and covering his face with a pillow. 

* * *

The next day, Logan visited Patton in his dorm room, and was surprised to see someone he didn't recognize open the door. 

"Uh- hi," he stammered out. He didn't mean to be rude, but it was hard to focus when someone had scales covering half of their face and a single snake eye. 

"Logan, right?" He asked, and Logan nodded. "I'm Damian, Patton's roommate."

"Oh!" That would explain the scales- Patton had told Logan that his roommate was a Naga, a creature with the ability to switch between a human and a snake form, yet unable to completely shed their snakelike qualities. "I'm here to see Patton."

"Obviously," Damian said with a chuckle. "Come in." He stepped aside, and Logan walked in, looking around with wide eyes.

Patton's dorm was, unsurprisingly, the coziest place Logan had ever set foot in. 

One half of the room was clearly Damian's- there was no bed to be found, only a large snake terrarium pressed up against the wall. There was also a desk, which was littered with papers that were held down by what looked like law books. 

The other half was Patton's; a twin-sized bed was flush with the wall, and was piled high with blankets and pillows in shades of light blue and green. On the center of the bed was a small stuffed seal, which Logan found absolutely adorable. Patton also had a desk of his own, which was surprisingly neat, half of the surface taken over by a Keurig and a mini fridge tucked under it. 

On the far wall was the door to the bathroom and two wardrobes, not unlike Logan's own dorm. 

"Patton's still in class," Damian said, sitting in the chair in front of his desk. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you rifle through his stuff." He gestured to Patton's bed with a pen. 

"Oh- okay," Logan said, and he perched on the foot of Patton's bed, busying himself with a game of Tetris on his phone. 

Patton didn't keep him waiting long; after only a few minutes, he turned up, clad in his coat and flushed from the wind. "Sorry I'm late," he said breathlessly. "Prof kept me late to talk about the upcoming project." He smiled a dazzling smile, and Logan felt a wave of affection for the man in front of him. 

"It's no problem at all, my love," he said, standing and extending his arm. The pet name might've been too soon, if it were anyone but Patton- but Logan wore the engagement ring Patton had given him on a chain around his neck, tucked into his shirt, and Patton had said "I love you" more times than Logan could count, always unconcerned when Logan didn't say it back. 

"Gross," Damian piped up. He'd gotten a laptop out at some point, and he paused in his typing now to glare over the screen at them. "Get your lovey-dovey stuff outta here, you're ruining my vibe." 

Patton rolled his eyes. "You're just jealous," he said teasingly. "Come on, Logan." He took Logan's arm easily and they walked, lightly linked at the elbows, out of Patton's dorm and off campus. The wind whipped at their clothing and nipped at their exposed skin, but they ignored it as they strolled down to the beach, ice cold water lapping just in front of their toes. 

"I miss it, sometimes," Patton said suddenly. "The ocean." 

"Oh." Logan squinted at him, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Do you want to go back?"

Patton frowned. "No," he admitted. "It's freeing, but-" he shook his head. 

Curiosity ate at Logan, and he blurted another question. "What's it like?"

A wave crashed hard on the packed sand, spraying them both with a fine mist. Patton stared out at the ocean. "It's... a bit like dreaming," he said. "Like your mind is floating in a sea of calm and you aren't sure what's real and what's fake, or if you even care." He shivered a little, looking back to Logan with a smile. "I like being more in my head," he said. "More in control. Even if there is more to worry about." 

Logan wasn't sure if he agreed, but he nodded anyway. Pressing a kiss to Patton's cheek, he said, "It's getting chilly. We should head back." 

"You're right," Patton agreed, sliding his hand down Logan's arm to interlock their fingers. "Let's."

* * *

Patton and Logan sat in their usual spot a few days later when, suddenly, Roman arrived, joining their table with a short, whip-thin man Logan didn't recognize. 

"This is Virgil Storm," Roman announced. 

"Yo," Virgil said, throwing up a peace sign without looking up from his phone.

"He's a vampire," Roman added. 

Virgil wrinkled his nose at him, pocketing the phone. "Geez, tell the whole world, why don't you."

"Well, Patton's a selkie and I'm a siren, so it's not like we'd care," Roman said, rolling his eyes.

"And Logan's married to Patton, so we know he isn't biased," Damian said from behind Logan, making him jump. The Naga grinned. "Mind if I sit?"

"No, not at all," Patton said, and they all scooted to make room. 

"Married?" Virgil asked, and his eyes flicked to Logan's bare finger, then to Patton's. 

"Yep!" Patton said, while at the same time, Logan answered, "Not really."

Patton looked at Logan with hurt in his eyes. "Uh-oh," Roman mumbled.

Logan scrambled to fix his mistake. "Well- I mean- not legally," he said. 

"Nice save," Damian hissed under his breath. He and Roman high-fived. 

Patton laughed with a bright smile. "It's kind of a silly story, really," he said. "My coat fell off my chair, and he picked it up and gave it back to me." He shrugged. "And here we are." 

Logan looked carefully at Patton. He seemed fine now, happy even, but Logan didn't think it was genuine. He hadn't meant to insult Patton's culture by implying that their marriage wasn't valid, but he knew he had. 

Deciding to apologize later, Logan let the conversation flow from there, his eyes fixed on Patton all the while. 


	3. Chapter 3

For the first time since they'd met, Logan woke up with no good morning text from Patton.

Fear seized his heart in it's ferric claws, and he swallowed around the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat, clutching his phone like a lifeline. 

For a moment, he entertained the idea that Patton had overslept- while the starry-eyed selkie had always been good at "adulting", as he put it, he didn't have any morning classes- and it was perfectly normal for people to run late. 

The clock ticked over into the next minute, and Logan abandoned that train of thought. No, it was more likely that Patton was upset, and it was all Logan's fault. 

Another minute ticked by while Logan stared blankly at his phone, trying to figure out a course of action. A voice that sounded suspiciously like Roman's told him to text Patton first, send  _ him _ a good morning text for once, complete with a heart, just the way Patton liked it.

_ No _ , argued a voice that sounded a lot more like his own.  _ You don't need his good morning text. You've survived this long without them. You've only known him for a few days, anyway.  _

Logan nodded, silently pocketing his phone and adjusting his tie. It was time for his math class.

* * *

They didn't talk for two weeks. 

Roman commented on it only once, and Logan swiftly shut him down. The siren kept to himself after that, spending more and more time out of their dorm, which Logan bitterly told himself was fine. 

He didn't need him.

He didn't need anyone.

Logan was perfectly happy by himself, the way he always had been.

But. 

He couldn't bring himself to take off the chain with Patton's ring. Ever so often it would bump on his chest, just above his heart, and a painful twinge would stab through his body. He often found himself twisting it around his ring finger, staring at the simple band while he was lost in thought. 

Late at night, he scrolled through their conversations, fingers hovering over the  _ send _ button of drafted texts, wondering where he went wrong. 

Still he persevered, avoiding Patton's gaze in their shared astronomy class and walling himself in his dorm, throwing himself into his studies with renewed vigor. His work steadily improved, and his professors praised him, but he just felt empty. Work made sense. Numbers and statistics wouldn't fail him. 

Roman was right. He really was stupid with love.

He scrubbed his palms over his eyes, groaning in frustration. He needed to get Patton out of his head.

There was a loud knock at their door. 

Logan stared. 

Roman, who had been passed out on his bed for the last 7 hours, lifted his head and groaned. "What time is it?" he slurred.

"It's almost 3 in the afternoon, Roman," Logan said, rolling his eyes. 

"Uggggh," he flopped his head back onto his pillow. 

"That's what you get for spending all night out," Logan said. 

"It's not  _ my  _ fault I'm friends with a vampire," Roman mumbled. 

"It kind of is," Logan said. 

"Shaddup." 

The person at the door knocked again, louder this time. Logan sighed, rising and pulling open the door. 

To his surprise, Damian stood there, and he slithered into the dorm while Logan looked on in shock. 

He turned a distasteful eye to the dorm, which was mostly bare, except for Roman's obnoxious number of Disney posters plastered all over his side of the room and silk sheets. 

"Cozy place," Damian commented, picking a piece of lint off of Logan's bed and flicking it away. "Real nice."

Roman sat up, makeup smeared and hair ruffled. "Damian? I didn't expect to see you after Logan and Patton's lover's quarrel."

Logan closed the door, frowning. "We haven't quarreled," he said, and it sounded like a lie even to himself.

Damian scowled, and his snake tail flicked impatiently. " _ Sure _ you haven't." Logan stared at the tail, wondering how he moved and trying to compare the green pattern to snake species he knew. 

He shook himself out of it. "We haven't," he repeated. 

Damian looked at him, his face carefully lawyer-blank. "Right.  _ That's _ why Patton's been crying himself to sleep every night."

The words hit Logan like a slap to the face, and he looked away, suddenly guilty. "I'm going to be late to class," he said.

Damian scoffed. "You mean the class that Patton's ssskipping because he can't ssstand to look at you?" His tail curls, coiling around Logan's feet and up one of his ankles. "I know how I seem. I'm the ssssnake come to trick you into sssinning. The perfect villain to any story." His eyes narrowed, and his forked tongue flicked out to taste the air. "But I care about Patton. Call me sssentimental. In fact," he continued, tail squeezing tight, "the only reasson you aren't  _ dead _ iss becausse I don't want to make a widow of my roommate." He folded his arms. "Sssso apologize and make up, or I'll make your life hell."

With that, he slithered out, and Logan was left staring. 

"That was new," Roman said. 

Logan scowled at him. "Shut up."


	4. Chapter 4

Logan may have been going through a romantic crisis, but that didn't stop him from going to class. 

He rushed in, brushing past the empty chair where Patton normally sat. Deja Vu twisted through his body, and he sat at his normal spot feeling strange, as if a piece of him was missing. 

He was distracted all through class, but that was fine- Roman had been growing steadily closer to Virgil, and Logan knew the vampire was in his class- he glanced over his shoulder to find him steadfastly writing. Maybe Logan could copy down his notes. 

He had more important things to worry about, anyway.

He thought about Patton the whole walk back to his dorm, his mind encircling the same worn track. Had he ruined everything? Was Logan about to be divorced?

He was so absorbed in thought that he didn't notice his feet had led him to Patton's dorm until he stood in front of the door, staring at the cold, unforgiving wood.

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Logan knocked. 

"I'm a bit busy," came Patton's voice, full of forced cheer and wavering slightly. "Can you come back later?"

"No," Logan responded.

There was a pause, then the door swung open, and there Patton was, the light shining around him like an ethereal glow. He was beautiful, breathtaking. .

And his face was raw and red from crying. 

"Logan," he said, smiling, "what are you doing here?"

"I... came to apologize," Logan said. "I upset you."

"I'm not upset," Patton said, his voice high and trembling dangerously. "I'm perfectly fine."

"I was a bad husband," Logon said. "I'm sorry."

The dam broke, and Patton burst into tears, gripping Logan by the shoulders and pulling him into a hug. 

* * *

It took an hour for the tears to stop, and when they did, Patton began apologizing. 

"I'm sorry," he said, rubbing his eyes. "I wish I could just... make you happy." 

"You do make me happy," Logan said with a frown. 

"W-what?" Patton stopped, staring at Logan with a bewildered expression. 

"You make me happy," Logan said. "I enjoy being around you." _I love you. _He doesn't say it, not yet- it's only been a few weeks, after all. 

"I thought-" Patton started, but Logan cut him off.

"You assumed." He pushed his glasses up his nose. "I'm not the best at expressing my emotions. I always thought that they were fickle, useless things. But I see now that I was wrong." He covered Patton's hand with his. "I care about you, Patton."

Patton frowned. "So you aren't staying with me just so I don't have to go through the process of getting divorced?"

"_No_," Logan said incredulously. 

Patton's lip wobbled, and he looked close to crying again. "B-but- it always seemed like you were just putting up with me," he said. 

"I had no idea you were feeling this way," Logan said. "Patton, you have to tell me when you are unhappy." 

"I don't _want_ to be unhappy!" Patton cried. "I just want to be happy with you the way you are!"

"This isn't a movie," Logan said. "No two people can be in a relationship as serious as marriage and never have to change behaviors. It's unrealistic." 

"I thought you said we weren't married," Patton mumbled, then winced at his own pettiness. 

"I'm sorry for saying that," Logan said. "I'm your husband, and I'm happy to be." 

Patton looked at him with wide, shining eyes. He leaned forward, and pressed a hesitant kiss to Logan's lips. 

Logan pulled him closer, and together they fell. 

* * *

Making up isn't easy. In fact, it's anything but. 

But Logan's willing to make it work. 

The day after their talk, Logan calls his mom and fills her in on the situation. 

Patton sat next to him the whole time, silent and steadily squeezing his hand. If Logan cried in his arms afterwards, well, he wouldn't say anything about it.

Piece by piece, they become whole again. 

Together, they learned to communicate. Patton started to admit when he was sad. Logan would express his affections more often. They were each others' husbands, and they didn't want it any other way. 

So it was no surprise to anyone when, just a short year later, they recieved a small, simple invitation in the mail. 

_You are cordially invited to the wedding of_

_ Patton Waters and Logan Croft_

_February 14th, 2019_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the next chapter is the last one! it's a nice little epilogue :)
> 
> If I get enough interest, I'll make a prinxiety sequel!


End file.
